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Minor League Mondays: New York Mets Non-Committal to Noah Syndergaard Call-Up

August 4th, 2014 at 8:14 PM By Mike Phillips

The New York Mets' best group is their starting rotation. The Mets' starting pitching has been strong all season, as the starters have given the Mets a chance to win games nearly every night. The group is so solid that it is tough to break in. With Bartolo Colon remaining in Queens past the trade deadline, there may not be a spot for Noah Syndergaard to debut this season.

Mets' skipper Terry Collins is unaware of any plans for Syndergaard to make his debut in September, Jorge Arangure Jr. of the New York Times reports. Collins pointed out that if the Mets remain in the playoff chase, there may not be a spot for Syndergaard as the team's staff has pitched well as a group. If Colon doesn't get dealt in August, there simply won't be a spot on the major league staff for Syndergaard.

Syndergaard has been stating his case for a callup with improved performance over the last few weeks. Syndergaard has been electric in his last three starts, allowing only one run and striking out 20 in 17.1 innings pitched. Syndergaard's ERA on the season is an ugly 4.85, but that figure is inflated from pitching in the Pacific Coast League.

Syndergaard may not be in line for a spot with the Mets right now, but that could change based on two factors. The first is whether or not the Mets are able to deal Bartolo Colon in August. If Colon is shipped to a contender, the Mets would have a spot in the rotation open up and Syndergaard could debut at that point. The other factor is an innings limit on Jacob deGrom. The Mets want to limit deGrom to 185 combined innings this season, although the team has said they would let him go past that limit if they are in contention. deGrom is currently at 133.2 innings pitched on the year, and is on pace to make 10 more starts. Assuming the Mets don't simply pull him after five innings in every start, he may be shut down a week or two early, allowing a chance for Syndergaard to get a start or two before the season is done.

The Mets should take the opportunity to allow Syndergaard to get some experience at the major league level in September. Even if Syndergaard works out of the bullpen, he could get his feet wet and be ready to contribute next season. The major league debut could also allow the Mets to showcase Syndergaard for a potential offseason trade.